-
The Ceiling Was a Floor: From Zen to Christ Through the Cloud of Unknowing (Lectio Divina)
What happens when the tradition you love most can no longer hold you? In this deeply personal Lectio Divina, Robert Van Valkenburgh traces his spiritual journey from the Zen Buddhist tradition — which spoke to him before he had words for what it was pointing toward — through an existential crisis and dark night…
-
An Excess of Presence: On Spiritual Darkness and the Gift of God’s Grace (Lectio Divina)
Some days God feels farther away than others. The fog of spiritual dryness settles in, and the mirror through which we see his reflection grows dark and unpolished. In this Lectio Divina reflection, Robert Van Valkenburgh draws on Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology and the Mary and Martha passage from Luke’s Gospel to explore what we…
-
Wandering and Wounded: A Lectio Divina on Exile, Longing, and the God Who Draws Near (Lectio Divina)
What do we do when faith is exhausted — when joy is laced with suffering, clarity with confusion, and the longing for God feels like exile? Drawing on the anonymous medieval classic The Cloud of Unknowing, this Lectio Divina sits with the rawness of spiritual fatigue and the contemplative invitation to remain in the…
-
The God Beyond Concepts: A Contemplative Journey into Sacred Silence (Lectio Divina)
What does it mean to have no concept of God? Drawing on Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and the centering prayer tradition of Thomas Keating, this Lectio Divina explores how relationship with God can deepen beyond concepts and experience can expand beyond belief — not replacing them, but fulfilling them. Through one transformative moment of contemplative…
-
Sacred Unknowing: Entering the Holy Darkness Beyond Words and Understanding (Lectio Divina)
A contemplative reflection on Dionysius the Areopagite’s teaching about entering the sacred darkness beyond understanding. This meditation explores how silence, surrender, and unknowing can lead to deeper intimacy with God beyond words and certainty.
-
Lectio Divina: Capable Of Spirit
In this stark and penetrating insight, St. John of the Cross reminds us that the senses—along with their natural functions—cannot grasp the life of the Spirit. True knowledge of God does not arise from sensory experience or intellectual control but from surrender, purification, and faith. This quote invites readers into the heart of Christian…
-
Lectio Divina: The Cloud Of Unknowing
A brief reflection on The Cloud of Unknowing highlights the heart of contemplative prayer: persevering love. The soul is invited to pierce the mystery of God not through intellect or effort, but through a steadfast longing that continues to love even in darkness, uncertainty, and spiritual dryness.